â&#x20AC;&#x153;...the architect is someone who philosophizes in and through material. Someone

ONE-TWO PUNCH

who builds a dwelling or erects an institution makes a statement on the relationship
between the ecstatic and the enstatic, or, if you will, between the world as apartment
and the world as agora.â&#x20AC;? - Peter Sloterdijk

Project: Thesis

The One-Two Punch is a two part

produces no spatial overlap with the

For: Rice University School of Architecture

strategy for producing an open and

surrounding city remaining perfectly

Advisor: Ron Witte

dynamic spatial relationship between

hermetic. It is therefore considered

Produced by: Geoffrey Sorrell

the interior of an institutional building

inadequate for an institution such as

Project Type: Satellite Community College Building

and the surrounding external space

the community college whose vitality

Location: San Francisco, CA

of the city. The thesis recognizes that

relies on being ingrained in the city.

Size: 63,000 SF

the exterior space of the city and the

And so the degree zero is leveraged to

interior space of architecture, while

render its counter form legible.

inherently separate, are both rich

Fig. 1 (left)
Worms Eye View Taken from
15 ft. Out and Perpendicular to
the Facade

with public activity, built form, and

Like the most effective yet basic boxing

colorful environments. Their physical

technique, the one-two punch, this

separation, while necessary, often

thesis manipulates the degree zero to

produces closed, enstatic spaces that

produce simultaneous extension and

work counter to a building with a public

withdrawal creating an oscillating

identity. Therefore, the thesis lays claim

relationship between two conditions;

that an institutional building in the

the inward city and the ecstatic

city can and should be ecstatic, it must

building. The combination of the two

reach outwards into the city, and it must

create a dynamic public space along

allow the city to reach inwards in order

both facades and inward across the

to foster an appropriate relationship

section; extending the activity of the

between the institution and the

users into the city, while receiving the

inhabitants of the city at large.

activity of the city into the building.
The resulting building embodies the

city. The second ecstatic move deploys
The first move of the inward city is

circuit based circulation routes that

the inward footprint. The building

tie the punched holes to the projecting

footprint is decreased on both sides.

volumes along the faรงade; providing

This expands the public thoroughfare

vertical circulation and activating roof

while creating a crucial point of overlap

terraces.

between public and private realm. The
second move, a series of punched holes,
7

THE
INWARD
CITY

In order to define the primary entrance,
this punched hole is scaled up to the
size of the city. This space serves as a
passage through the site, the primary
entrance to the building and a public
seating area.

terrace with outdoor seating. Views
from the terrace pass through multiple
layers of projecting classrooms then
back out into the city.
11

THE
INWARD
CITY

This punch moves partially into the
building, creating a terrace space while
reflecting the city in the background
and framing the city in the foreground.
Periodically the interior space will be
filled as students exit the lecture hall.

This proposal works with an expansive and divided site to create a unified campus for
the school of design. It also provides a distinct architectural identity for the college within
the framework of the Campus Commons . This is accomplished by introducing multiples
of a singular building type that territorialize the site and align with existing conditions.

Project Type: Graduate Studio

The Campus Commons studio was

the city. At the same time, the legibility of

For: Rice University School of Architecture

given the task of developing a master

the forms define a single campus.

Professor: Neyran Turan

framework in which a new type of

Produced by: Geoffrey Sorrell

educational system could be realized.

The second move enhances the interior

Project Type: Satellite Campus

This required the development of a

organization of the site through

Location: Istanbul, Turkey

large area located in the Zeytinburnu

excavation. While the multiple buildings

Size: ~400,000 SF

district of Istanbul. As a group, the studio

emphasize directionality, movement and

developed a strategy that would cover

outward projection in plan, a series of

approximately 1,000 acres in a gridded

circles are introduced that focus inward.

forest. Within the forest, the studio

They become intermediate spaces that

strategically retained 9 sites that were

have a relationship with both the interior

to be developed for the campus. What is

and exterior. In other cases, they become

unique about the Campus Commons is

shafts functioning as circulation for

each individual site will host a specific

auditoriums and classrooms.

college within the university and will
operate as a self-sufficient campus.

Housing units are placed on the outer
edge and dispersed around the site.

site into the city and the east clearing is
an extension of the city into the site.
Mirrored surfaces are used on the interior
facing facades to reflect the surrounding
city, trees and campus activities that are
around the corner. The reflective surfaces
add depth to the experience of walking
between buildings by reflecting views
that would otherwise be hidden. Exterior
facing surfaces are non-reflective to
maintain legibility of form.

The Gahndi Museum began as an invited competition between three local firms in

Mahatma Gandhi
Museum

the Houston area for a private entity. MC2's proposal was selected by the committee.
The project was primarily designed by firm principal Chung Nguyen, however it is
shown here as my role in developing the project was significant from the conceptual
design phase through the final presentation drawings.

Project Type: Professional
For: MC2 Architects

The Mahatma Gandhi Museum, an

the municipal storm water system.

Team: Chung Nguyen, FAIA

institution aimed at increasing public

The east and west sun exposures are

Van-Tuong Nguyen, AIA

awareness of Gandhian philosophy and

minimized and southern exposures are

Geoffrey Sorrell

teachings consists of a series of linear

protected by louvers to reduce heat

Project Type: Cultural

galleries staggered across a long and

gain. Photovoltaic panels are placed

Location: Houston, TX

narrow site.

on the south-facing roofs to maximize
solar energy collection. The Mahatma

Size: 15, 815 SF
Award: 2016 AIA Houston Design Award

The museum buildings stretch along

Gandhi Museum uses vernacular

an elevated walkway interwoven with

sustainable architecture to engage the

green spaces. Visitors meander through

community and to promote Gandhi’s

the museum, circulating between

simple way of life.

galleries and verandas. The breezy
water gardens serve as breaks between
exhibitions where one can rest, reflect,

and reconnect with the wetland ecology
that was once prevalent on the site.
The museum employs the vernacular
“dogtrot” typology as a key design
Fig. 1 (left)
Site Plan Rendering
Image by: Geoffrey Sorrell
Fig. 2 (above)
Site Plan

and sustainability strategy. The
breezeways catch prevailing winds
to cool outdoor spaces and ventilate
the galleries. The shed roofs collect
rainwater into retention ponds for reuse
in the building and for irrigation. The
interconnected ponds employ gravity
filtration to reduce pollution in the
water before gradually releasing it into
37

In order to preserve the natural feature
of the site, several landscape strategies
are deployed. The museum floor is
raised above ground to minimize the
impact of the foundation to the site.
This allows the building to hover
over the ground plane and enables
the landscape to remain natural with
selections of native trees and aquatic
plants in the ponds to promote
biodiversity.
The elevated walkways allow visitors to
enjoy the gardens with minimal impact
on the natural plant life.

in between interior volumes. This
strategy is multiplied within the museum
creating multiple entry points for wind to
move between the buildings and cool the
interstitial spaces.
In order to capture rainwater, the roof
slopes inward utilizing gravity powered
filtration systems for irrigation and
building use. Excess rainwater collects

Fig. 8 (bottom right)
Rainwater System

into the retention pond that lies beneath
the museum platform; this helps prevent

Diagrams by:
Van-Tuong Nguyen
& Geoffrey Sorrell

the municipal storm water systems from
overflowing.

N

IO

CT
LE

OL
NC

I
RA

IR

ON

I
AT
IG

I

IR

ON

I
AT

G
RI

RR

ON

I
AT

G
RI

ON

I
AT
IG

ON

R

IR

TI
MA

A

L
EC
RR

E
AT
W
Y

E

GR

41

In order to mitigate solar exposure the
building is orientated along the eastwest axis. Horizontal louvers on the
south-facing clerestories deflect harsh
sunlight during the summer and allow
low-angle winter sun.
Roof overhangs protect the doorways
and windows from direct sunlight

This proposal takes advantage of a strong vertical form and the structural capacity
of the belt truss in order to exploit internal negative spaces as part of the negative

BOUNDS

space of the city. By doing so, the public realm is interlocked with building in section
promoting the extension of the public into the building and once inside promoting the
individual's view back out into the city.

Project Type: Graduate Studio (Totalization)

The objective of this studio was to

selection (experimental and temporary

For: Rice University School of Architecture

explore an innovative structural

lines). The structural and programmatic

Professor: Mark Wamble

diagram as the starting point for an

relationship establishes a building

Produced by: Geoffrey Sorrell & Ariel Mucasey

architectural proposal that would

whose formal quality within the city is

Award: Margaret Everson Fossi Award

accommodate the business headquarters

much like an alphabet building with

Project Type: Uniqlo Headquarters & Retail

and retail shopping of the brand,

courtyard spaces connected to the public

Location: New York, NY

Uniqlo. The studio began as a single

space of the streets.

Size: 71,550 SF

person investigation that was explored
in conjunction with the concept for a

The proposal located in high traffic

new building. Partnerships were then

pedestrian area acts within the city as

formed around a single proposal. For

an alphabet building in elevation (see

this proposal, the original building was

diagram on p. 47) in which the negative

designed by myself followed by a joint

space becomes a beacon of public

effort in the design development and

activity that can be seen from far away

representation phases.

with in the city. These spaces are given
the highest degree of transparency

The site is located opposite the Flatiron
building at the intersection between
5th avenue and Broadway and has to
negotiate a diagonal edge on Broadway.
This side of the building is designed
as a solid mass in order to be filled
with the back of house spaces such as
bathrooms, fitting rooms and points
of sale. The solid volume (left in plan)
helps keep the negative spaces (right
in plan) clear of partition walls and
creates a threshold between the back
of house and retail spaces. This wall is
emphasized with the Uniqlo red color
symbolizing an interior pivot from
inside in to inside out.
48

Programs located within the solid
space of the belt truss are those that are
require permanent arrangements; this
includes offices, meeting spaces and
the permanent Uniqlo collections.
Terracotta louvers are used in
conjunction with the belt truss to create
the positive form of the building. The
louvers are designed in a pattern that
works with the geometry of the truss
and adds visual dynamics to the facade.
The tubes also work as a sun shade and
rain screen, diffusing direct light within
the offices.

Once inside the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s negative
space/ Uniqlo X the individual is
surrounded by the city. Within these
spaces the building is no longer a
barrier between the interior and
exterior, rather it facilities a re-framing
of the city as a part of the interior and
the interior as part of the city.
As such, the interior maximizes the
bandwidth in which it operates as it
is stretched to its thinnest possible
existence by the tension cable glass

The Uniqlo Headquarters takes
advantage of its two part program
(office and retail) and its frontal
position on the edge of the block facing
the park by interlocking with the
negative space of the city, promoting
the visibility of those spaces through
materiality and providing access to
those spaces through glass elevators
and strategic escalators.
The resulting architecture is a
synthesis of formal, technological and
programmatic means that empower
the individual to conquer the city from
above through expansive views and
effortless mobility.
56